Automatic door.



COLUMBlA ASHINGTDN D C F. E. WENZEL.

AUTOMATIG DOOR. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 13, 1912.

1,044,837, I Patented Nov. 19,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. B. WENZEL.

AUTOMATIC DOOR.

AFPLIGATION FILED JUNE 13, 1912.

1,044,837. Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

0074 670 ra e Faain/ ask fioanv wi lmaoow COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPHCOIWASHINGTONY DIC.

UNITED STATES PATEN r orries.

FREDRIGK E. WENZEL, OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TOEMIL '1. MUELLER, OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 13, 1912.

Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

Serial No. 703,489.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRICK E. VVENZEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State ofWisconsin, have invented certam new and useful Improvements in AutomaticDoors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of automatically operated doors whichare actuated by the article in its passage therethrough.

The objects of the invention are to provide a sliding door with a levermechanism adapted to be actuated by the passage of the article, such asa beer barrel, as it passes from the wash-room through *the door of thecooling or refrigerating room; also to provide for raising the dooraccordlng to the diameter of the article or barrel to pass thereunder.These objects I accomplish by the mechanism shown in the accompanyingdrawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of a doorway be tween twocompartments and provided with my improved automatically operating door.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof.

A, designates the door sliding in vertical ways A, A, at the sides ofthe doorway between the wash-room B, and the cold storage room B, of abrewery.

C, is a skid or track at the entrance side of the door formed ofparallel inclined bars 0, 0, having supporting legs 0, 0, at theirhigher ends and attaching brackets 0 c engaging the sill a.

D, is a lever formed of parallel curved bars d, d, connected bycross-bars 0?, cl, d, and pivoted at their outer ends between the outerends of the skid bars 0, c, by means of a rod (Z the inner ends of thelever bars d cl, extending close to the door sill a, and are thereprovided with lateral projections or arms d d which enter recesses 0 0in the bars 0, c and limit the downward movement of the lever D. Thesearms (Z d are shown as extensions of the inner cross-bar d. The outerends of these arms 02 are formed as hooks 0Z to engage any one of aplurality of links 6, e, on the lower ends of the door-actuating ropesE. The ropes E, or equivalent flexible connections extend from the upperedge of the door over ballbearing pulleys e, e, and then down to thelever D.

D is a counterbalance suspended from lever D and having removableweights (Z and the door may have a counter-weight A By means of thesecounterweights the lever mechanism may be adjusted for operation bybarrels of different weights and by means of the links 6, e the levermay be made to raise the door A to the height necessary for the passagethereunder of the different sized kegs, &c. lVhen the lowest links 6, c,are engaged with the lever hooks (i the door will be raised just highenough for the smallest kegs to pass through and so a minimum escape ofcold air is provided for.

In operation, the weight of the door A will hold the lever D raisedwhile a keg or barrel is resting in the position shown to the right inFig. 2, where it may remain until thoroughly drained. A slight push onthe keg or barrel will cause it to depress the lever D and run down theinclined skid. The lever D will have raised the door to the properheight and so the keg or barrel will shoot through the doorway and downan inclined skid F at the opposite side within the cooling room. Sincethe lever extends to the door sill it will be held depressed and thedoor held raised till the barrel passes from beneath the door which byreason of its greater weight will quickly descend to its closed positionand, in so doing, raise the lever to its operative posit-ion. It willbenoted that the door is not struck by the descending kegs or barrelswhich would tend to injure it and get the mechanism out of order.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a vertically sliding door forcold storage rooms, and a downwardly inclined skid or track leadingthereto, of a lever pivoted at its outer end to the skid or track andinclined upwardly from its pivotal point above the skid or track tosupport a barrel or keg in place on said skid or track, and operativeconnections between the free end of the lever and the door.

2. The combination with a vertically sliding door for cold storagerooms, and a down wardly inclined skid or track leading thereto, of alever formed of parallel bars pivoted at their outer ends to the skid ortrack and inclined upwardly from said pivotal point above the skid ortrack, operative connections between the raised free end. of the leverand the door, and gradually adjusting devices for changing the throw ofsaid operative connections to raise the door the proper height forbarrels or kegs of difierent sizes.

3. The combination with a vertically sliding door for cold storage roomsand an inclined skid or track leading thereto and formed of parallelbars, of a lever formed of parallel bars pivoted at their outer endsbetween the outer ends of the skid bars and extending at their free endsadjacent to the' door, lateral arms extending from the free end of thelever substantially to the sides of the doorway, pulleys above the doorand flexible connections extending from the top of the door over thepulleys and down to said lateral lever-arms.

4. The combination with a vertically sliding door for cold storage roomsand a downwardly inclined skid or track leading thereto, of a leverformed of upwardly inclined parallel bars pivoted at their outer ends tothe skid or track and extending at their free higher ends adjacent tothe door, lateral arms extending from the free end of the lever towardthe sides of the doorway, pulleys above the door, flexible connectionsextending from the top of the door over the pulleys, and down to saidlateral arms, and means for lengthening and shortening the said flexibleconnections to raise the door, predetermined heights for different sizesof barrels and kegs.

5. The combination with a vertically sliding door for cold storage roomsand an inclined skid or track leading thereto, of a lever extendingalong the track or skid with its free end adjacent to the door, andhaving a lateral arm, a pulley above the door, and a flexible connectionextending from the top of the door over the pulley and down toward thefree end of the lever, and links at the lower end of the flexibleconnection adapted for adjustable engagement with thesaid lateral leverarm.

6. The combination with a vertically sliding door for cold storage roomsand a downwardly inclined skid or track leading thereto, of anadjustably counterweighted lever extending at an upward incline from theouter end of the track or skid alongside the track or skid with its freeend adjustably and operatively connected with the door for raising itwhen actuated by a keg or barrel.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDRIGK E. VVENZEL. \Vitnesses 7 DAVID S. LAW, MARION G. ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

